


By the Light of the Moon

by blue_assassin



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Author regrets nothing, Brushing Hair, Comfort, Ethari getting promoted, Fluff, M/M, Nothing I say!, Runaan is a good husband, SO MUCH FLUFF, fun stories, he knows how to treat his boy, invention of the bowvlade, stressed Ethari, wrote this instead of sleeping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:01:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25061284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blue_assassin/pseuds/blue_assassin
Summary: Ethari has a lot riding on this new project of his and he's stressed. Fortunately, Runaan knows just how to help!
Relationships: Ethari/Runaan (The Dragon Prince), Runaari - Relationship, Ruthari - Relationship
Comments: 6
Kudos: 50





	By the Light of the Moon

**Author's Note:**

> This prompt is 100% courtesy of the @ask-ethari-anything tumblt blog! As I do not have an account, I cannot thank the user myself for this beautiful idea. If someone reads the blog and can do that for me, please do!

Tomorrow. Tomorrow Ethari was going to be promoted and become the master smith of the Silvergrove. And he was nervous as a moonraven at sunrise.

The thing was, to complete his training and take his master's place, he had to explain and display an invention or project of some sort to his master. Something unlike any project he had done before. Luckily, the project itself wasn't a problem. He had started on a line of new weapons that combined two into one. He had made a bow/sword combination fot the presentation, but he also had idas for other combinations too. No, the project was not the problm. Explaining it was.

It was rather like asking an artist to explain their art, or a musician to explain their song. He wasn't sure exactly how his 'Bowblade', as he'd named it, worked. It just...did.

But he had to figure it out. He had to. Or else his years of training would be for naught, and he was not going to let that happen.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ethari bustled about his workshop, grabbing one thing, shuffling others, muttering to himself as he threw various pieces and tools on a table. Among the clutter was an elegant weapon, a long bow, roughly a metre in length with gleaming silver limbs that joined into the typical green of a Moonshadow weapon. There were crossing swirls and runes along this part of the bow, and small, almost indistinguishable runes along the silver part of the limbs. It was Ethari’s project, his Bowblade, and Ethari had yet to find the words to describe how it worked. It was quite frustrating, really.

“I see someone’s having a good time in here.”

Ethari whipped around, scattering bits and pieces of scrap all over the floor as he did so. He cursed and Runaan chuckled, “Perhaps not?”

“No.” Ethari replied shortly, beginning to sweep up the pieces.

Runaan approached him slowly before wrapping his arms around his husband from behind and resting his head on his shoulder. Ethari paused for a moment before relaxing into his embrace and sighing, resting the broom against the workbench.

“What troubles you, my light?” Runaan asked.

The craftsman let out a heavy breath, “It’s my project.” he said, gesturing to the weapon on the table.

“Your Bowblade? What of it? It seems extremely well crafted to me.” Runaan replied quizzically as he pulled back to move toward the door that led to their adjacent sitting room.

“It is. I’m sure it is.” Ethari said, following him and slumping on the couch. He put his face in his hands as Runaan crouched in front of him.

“Then what is the problem? If it’s done wel and you are sure of it, then I see no problem.” he said.

Ethari shook his head, “But that’s not all I need. I can only get so far with what I have. On top of having a well crafted weapon, I also have to explain how it works. The mechanisms, the logistics, the nitty gritty bits and pieces of its workmanship, and-” he groaned in frustration.

“And you can’t quite figure it out?” Runaan finished.

Moon bless his husband and his uncanny perception. “Yes.” Ethari sighed, “And I can’t quite figure it out.”

Runaan nodded and stood, moving into their adjacent bedroom an out of sight. Ethari watched him go, a bit confused, until the assassin returned with his silver hairbrush in hand and he smiled.

Runaan gave him one of his rare soft smiles and handed him the brush, "Tell me bout it."

When he and Runaan had first started courting, the two of them had started a sort of tradition. He had a presentation coming up for some new apprentices and wanted it to go well, so he asked Runaan for advice. 

He told him things like sleep well the night before, eat right, drink plenty of water, and such. And Ethari promised he would do all of those things. But he really had been quite nervous, so he asked if he could brush his hair in the moonlight so he could wish for success.

“You want to what?” Runaan had asked in obvious confusion.

“Like the village legend says. ‘When you want to do well on your master crafting project presentation and you’re feeling a bit nervous, make a wish for success on the longest Moonshadow hair you can find by brushing it in the moonlight.’”

Runaan had stared at him. “That’s incredibly specific.”

Ethari shrugged and grinned. “Many Moonshadow sayings are.”

He struggled internally for a moment–Ethari could tell because he looked down and his face went blank–but then he met his eyes and agreed with a crisp nod.

He came to Ethari’s house (as it was attached to the workshop already), then he handed Ethari his own hairbrush, and sat on a stool in front of the window with his hair in a patch of pure moonlight.

Ethari gathered up that thick white hair and started figuring out how to brush it. Runaan gave him plenty of tips, and soon he had a soft grip on it and was brushing it in smooth motions while Runaan told him his favorite Moonshadow philosophies.

And then it was his turn to spend the next hour talking about his Bowblade. He didn’t know if Runaan followed any of what he was saying, but it didn’t matter. When he had finished, his thoughts seemed so much clearer and he was far less nervous. 

Even though he had, in all honesty, made up the legend as an excuse to brush Runaan’s hair and spend time with him, it had become their ritual. If Ethari was nervous or overthinking a project, Runaan would hand him a brush, sit down on a stool, and listen as Etari ran the brush (and sometimes his fingers) through his hair over and over.

Ethari gave him a grateful smile as Runaan sat on his usual stool in front of their window seat and pulled the silver bands out of his hair. He gathered Runaan’s hair in his hands and brushed as he spoke.

“Hm, well, I’m not sure where to start, really.” he began.

“Usually starting at the top and working down seems to work best,” Runaan replied, a slight teasing lilt to his voice.

“Not your hair, you mooncrazy elf.” he chided, “My project!”

Runaan chuckled, “I know, I'm sorry. Please continue.”

Ethari continued, "It's supposed to be a sort of ultimate advantage weapon on the battlefeild. Something that is just as light as one weapon, but works as well as two. In the case of the bowblade, swords and a bow; a perfect combination of long distance and short distance combat. The blade attatching a sort of clasp fashion with a rune for quick attatchment so you can switch forms in an instant, and the blades themselves curve to form the bow shape when not being used in blade form."

By now, Ethari wasn't even really paying any attention to what he was saying, he just...spoke. Runaan listened in rapt attention as he yammered away, running the brush through his hair in methodic strokes. It was almost therapudic. A sort of medatative process for him that cleared his mind and heightened his senses. He wasn't sure how long he talked about his project but, eventually, he ran out of words. Carefully putting Runaan's hair into its usuall sleep bun, Ethari realized he had explained every rune, every nick and aspect of his Bowblade in perfect detail. A flurry of ideas and memories of what he said swirled in his brain and he leapt up to copy them down. Leaving Runaan in the sitting room, he dashed to his workshop , grabbing the well-worn notebook off his workbench, and scribbled down notes and haf-baked thoughs furiously. Runaan strode into the room a bit later, resting his hands on Ethari's hips as he jotted down idea after idea, plan after plan. Then, without warning, he jumped up, kissed Runaan quickly with a hasty, "You're brilliant, my shade," and moved to the Bowblade. He spent the next half hour muttering to himself and manipulting parts of the weapon until Runaan finally had to pull him away and into bed.

Needless to say, Ethari became master smith the next day.

**Author's Note:**

> I just love them, don't you? X> If you have any ideas or reccomendations, feel free to let me know cos I'm all out :/  
> Also, where my Hamilfans at? Y'all watched Hamilton on Disney + yet? If you haven't, you should. It's beautiful and had me sobbing during the second act even though I've seen it before! If you have, and you need someone to rant at, lemme know. I got you! ;)
> 
> Ciao, Ventosa!  
> -Blue


End file.
